2017
14 ❙ EggIndustry
EXCLUSIVE
SURVEY
US egg producers predict not
all hens cage free by 2025
Egg producers were asked for their predictions regarding the state of
cage-free shell egg sales and hen housing in 2025.
BY TERRENCE O'KEEFE
The big story in the U.S. egg industry
in 2016 was the number of cage-free
purchase pledges made by major retail
and foodservice shell egg purchasers,
and similar pledges by foodservice and
food companies regarding egg products
purchases. Most of these cage-free shell
egg and egg product purchase pledges
are due to take effect in 2025.
In a report released on January
9, 2017, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) estimated that the
number of cage-free egg layers housed
in the U.S. had increased to 37.6 million by December
2016, with 14.1 million of these hens being certified organic. The USDA estimated the total table egg layer flock
to be 311.6 million hens on December 1, 2016. Based on
these USDA estimates, cage-free layers represented 12.1
percent of the total egg-laying flock in December 2016.
Egg Industry estimates that no more than 1 percent of the
total U.S. table egg layer flock is housed in fully enriched
cages.
Compare these Top Egg Company survey
results with last year's:
www.WATTAgNet.com/articles/25650
As part of the Top Egg Company Survey, U.S. egg
producers were asked to predict the percentages of the
U.S. table egg flock that will be housed in conventional
cages, enriched cages and cage free in 2025. Thirtyone egg producers housing 174 million hens answered
the opinion questions in the Top Egg Company survey.
The average of the egg producers' responses was
that 47.7 percent of U.S. hens would be housed in conventional cages in 2025. The responses ranged from a
high of 80 percent to a low of 0 percent with a median
response of 55 percent.
Most U.S. egg producers predict enriched cages will
still be used in 2025, with the average prediction that 6
percent of U.S. hens will be housed in enriched cages
www.WATTAgNet.com ❙ February 2017

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